Muffled sounds of television
static fade out to chatter
among different families.
Fade to silence.

(Sounds continue)

Fade in from 5 seconds of
black to a montage of
television sets, all sizes
and shapes with “snow” and
visual depictions of dead
air on the screens.
Compilation of scenes of
television sets in the
houses of families of
different races, origins,
and social class. These
aspects are differentiated
by the lighting, color,
and the objects on the set
of each different family.

00:00:05

00:00:27

Silence characterized by the
sound of dead air. A voice
over ensues.

VO: Families are dynamic.
They are the hearth and
symbol of the world's many
diverse cultures and are the
structural unit that allows
the individual to create his
or her own identity. From
supportive to dysfunctional,
the role of the family in
film is to convey ideas of
agreement with or rebellion
against social norms.

Synchronous sound of a person
striking the side of a small
television set.

Continued montage of
families interacting
within their different
households in front of
televisions displaying
“snow” and dead air.
---Cut to--Long shot of a girl (16
years of age) dressed in
European fashion
approaching the television
set.
---Cut to--Close up of the girl’s
face, a reflection of the
“snow” on the television
seen in the irises of her
brown eyes. She looks
directly at the camera.
The expression on her face
is contemplative.
---Cut to--Close up of the girl’s
hand striking the side of
the small television set
in front of her. Fade to
black.

00:00:45

00:01:02

Hr:min:sec

Ambient sounds of family’s
talking all at once fade in.
The amount of families
speaking at once slowly
diminishes until only the
voice over is heard.

---Cut to--Frame shot of a solid
black background. The
working title fades in
with white lettering. Fade
out to white.

VO: One way that the cultural
aspects of families have been
depicted and studied is
through film.

(shot continues until fade
out)

Filmmakers from different
countries, such as America,
Britain and India have used
their films to show audiences
what the lives of families of
these cultures are like, with
films centered on the family
being the most frequently
produced in each country
(Bordwell, Thompson 256).

VO: The social history of
America, Britain, and India
play a vital role in the
films that are produced in
the respective cultures.
Indecipherable dialogue from
the three settings plays in
the background and fades out
with a visual flash of stark
white.

Time

Visual

Audio

Fade in to a quick Pan
shot of a Caucasian man
and woman of Latin origin
(both Americans and in
their thirties) walking
down a somewhat busy
street in New York.
---Cut to--A long shot of families in
a suburban British
community.
---Cut to--a pan shot of a busy
Indian city surrounded by
vendors.

Visuals of the American
street, suburban British
community and Indian city
merge and slowly fade into
white

00:01:15

00:01:31

00:01:43

00:01:58

Audio

Visual

Soundtrack music from the
opening credits from “Monsoon
Wedding” fades in and plays
in the background (faintly).
Music from each of the four
films is used throughout the
documentary to emphasize the
importance of the cultures in
each film and to evoke
emotion in the audience of
familiarity.

Fade into montage of
quick, but sufficient
scenes to convey the
message that marriage is a
central event in all four
films

Time
Hr:min:sec

VO: The story lines of the
films My Big Fat Greek
Wedding (America), Pride and
Prejudice (Britain), Bride
and Prejudice (India), and
Monsoon Wedding (India), are
all centered on marriage.
The concepts of social
status, ethnic origin, and
distress over abandoning or
accepting tradition are tied
to the cultural values of
each country in each film.
These aspects come to light
through the mise en scene of
each film, particularly
through the patterns of the
contrast of warm and cool
colors and the difference in
the hues of the colors
created by lighting.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding
where Toula and her father
are in the car at night
and he tells her that she
“Better get married soon”
(to a Greek) because she’s
“starting to look... old“,
---Cut to--scene in Pride and
Prejudice where Elizabeth
and her sisters giddily
celebrate the fact that
Mr. Bingley is single
---Cut to--A scene in Bride and
Prejudice where Balraj (on
ground level)makes eye
contact with Jaya (who is
on a balcony) during an
organized break into song.
---Cut to--A scene in Monsoon Wedding
where wife to be Aditi
(reluctant about her
marriage to Hemant Rai)
veers away from her
family’s eager and frantic
rush to find her wedding
apparel to get a Popsicle
from a vender around the
corner.

Music fades out.

As the music fades out,
the last shot of the scene
where Aditi evades her
family slowly fades into
black.

00:02:10

00:02:22

00:02:41

00:02:59

Audio

Visual

Time
Hr:min:sec

Voice over fades in from
momentary silence.
00:03:14

VO: Marriage, an event
generally centered on the
merging of a man and woman
with similar cultural values
in strictly traditional
communities, is the catalyst
for the families in all four
films. Each family realizes
that their own relatives are
evolving into people with
their own principles,
different than those of
traditional standards.

Fade from black into scene
from My Big Fat Greek
Wedding where Toula
appears contemplative as
she stares at a pamphlet
for taking computer
courses, a far stretch
away from her father’s
wishes for her to marry a
nice Greek man and have
children.
00:03:25

(scene continues)
Original sounds from the
films plays behind the voice
over.
VO: In the film Monsoon
Wedding, character Aditi does
not want to conform to the
traditions of her patriarchal
family and has an affair with
another man against the
wishes of her father who has
arranged her marriage to
Hemant Rai. Like many women
in modern day India, Aditi
strives to be successful at a
career and make her own
decisions regardless of her
families’ wishes to maintain
their honor through the
social and economic benefits
that are usually promised
through a daughter’s arranged
marriage (Cox, 47).

---Cut to--A scene from Monsoon
Wedding where Aditi meets
her lover, whom she is
having an affair with,
behind the set of the
television show he is
affiliated with.

00:03:45

00:04:01

(scene continues)

Audio
Aaj Mera Jee Kardaa from
Monsoon Wedding kicks in.
VO: In all four films, the
patterns of color assist in
revealing ideas about
cultural norms by the
presence of warm colors
symbolizing unity and
conformity and the presence
of cool colors representing
non-traditional aspects that
stand out-in this case, these
ideas stand out visually.

Visual

Time

Hr:min:sec

---Cut to--Montage of the working
titles of all four films,
in alphabetical order
beginning with Bride and
Prejudice, Monsoon
Wedding, My Big Fat Greek
Wedding, and ending with
Pride and Prejudice.

00:04:09

00:04:22

Aaj Mera Jee Kardaa from
Monsoon Wedding fades out.
---Cut to--VO: In Bride and Prejudice,
Lalita can’t help but
envision what her life would
be like with American William
Darcy, regardless of whether
or not she wants to.
Dola Dola from Bride and
Prejudice fades in.
This scene supports how
people unwillingly envision
the complete contrast of a
color, this act called
simultaneous contrast, when
they have seen a particular
color for a prolonged amount
of time. Lalita can’t escape
her feelings for Darcy and
the contrast in the warm and
cool colors of this scene
conveys that message
(Gilchrist, 35).

Scene from Bride and
Prejudice where Lalita
fantasizes about marrying
Johnny Wickam in an
American church (masked in
a warm colored hue) while
she has generally
optimistic visualization
of her life with him until
she sees William Darcy's
face (in a contrasting
blue tinted hue) as the
groom when her veil is
uncovered ensues.

00:04:39

00:04:48

(scene continues)

00:04:59

Audio
Music fades out into voice
over.
VO: Similarly, in Pride and
Prejudice, the story written
by Jane Austin that inspired
India’s Bride and Prejudice,
ideas about social status are
conveyed through the
intensity of color.

Visual

Time

Hr:min:sec

---Cut to---

00:05:09

Scene from Pride and
Prejudice where Mr. Darcy
is staring at Elizabeth
from a distance in attire
that is of an intense gray
hue than his surroundings,
which is made up of a
green and gray hue.

Dawn from Pride and Prejudice
fades in.
00:05:23

VO: Mr. Darcy’s attire and
his surroundings are of the
same color; however, they are
of different hues. Mr. Darcy
and his attire stand out
because darker hues are
generally brought to the
forefront of a shot and
lighter hues are less intense
and therefore have the
appearance of falling behind
those that are more intense.
This symbolizes his
importance (Stark Adam).

---Cut to--Scene from Pride and
Prejudice at the beginning
of the film where William
Darcy stands while many
female characters swoon
over him. His stance is
tall and confident, his
appearance standing out
from that of the crowd
because of the intense
hued colors of his
wardrobe.

00:05:57

Visual

Audio
Original sounds from Monsoon
Wedding of Family members
singing and rejoicing about
Aditi’s marriage fade in for
five seconds and decrease in
volume as a voice over
begins.
VO: Whereas Aditi battles
conflicts with portraying the
“correct” image for her
family’s honor. In Indian
film Monsoon Wedding bride to
be Aditi, has views towards
marriage and customs
different than some of her
family members.
Original sounds from “Monsoon
Wedding”: a female family
member sings about Aditi‘s
father giving her away and
becoming a stranger to her
forever.
VO: Aditi, characterized by
her copper toned hair and
blue eyes, appears distraught
during this scene and seems
as though she doesn’t fit in
with the rest of her family,
despite the similarity in
their bright, ornate
wardrobes. Her body language,
that of disinterest, is the
only thing that distinguishes
Aditi from the warmth and
unity of the colors between
her and her family. The eye
popping colors are brought
out to the forefront and
symbolize the value that
family comes first
(Mukhopadhyay,83).

Time

Hr:min:sec

---Cut to--Scene from Monsoon Wedding
where the women in the
family are gathered
together and singing while
Aditi’s hands are painted
in Henna. A Close up
reveals the disgust in
Aditi’s eyes reflecting
her disinterest in the
family event and her own
future marriage.

00:06:04

00:06:24

---Cut to--Somber scene during
nighttime where all of the
family is gathered
together outside in a
small ceremony celebrating
Aditi’s engagement to
Hemant Rai. Aditi appears
saddened at this event
because of the affair she
is having with Vikram.
Fade to black.

(scene continues until it
fades to black)

00:06:39

00:06:50

Audio
Original sounds from Monsoon
Wedding stops abruptly after
the screen fades to black.
Original sounds from both
films included in the montage
play: Synchronous Dialogue
between Aditi and Ria talking
in the car, Ria asks Aditi if
she consults Cosmopolitan for
all her advice, followed by
synchronous dialogue from
Bride and Prejudice when
Lalita and Mr. Bingley’s
sister share a slightly
confrontational moment when
Lalita reads a book out on
the beach and Mr. Bingley’s
sister snares at her and says
that Indians like herself
don’t have spare time to sit
around and read books.
When the still framed split
screen fades in, there are 2
seconds of silence followed
by a voice over.
VO: Ideas of social status
are shown in these scenes.
In both films, American
culture clashes with the
traditional values of Indian
culture and causes
character’s to reexamine
their ideas about crossing
cultural lines.

Visual

Time

Hr:min:sec

Fade to a quick montage of
a compilation of clips
from two scenes: one from
Monsoon Wedding and one
from Bride and Prejudice.
The scene from Monsoon
Wedding is a close up
scene of Ria and Aditi in
backseat of a car having a
discussion, with
noticeably differences
between the two and their
appearances. The scene
from Bride and Prejudice
is from when Lalita, Mr.
Darcy, and Mr. Bingley’s
sister are all laying out
on the beach and Lalita
reads a book. Montage ends
at the last frame of Bride
and Prejudice where Lalita
storms off and accuses Mr.
Darcy of being an
“American”.

00:07:03

00:07:24

00:07:39

Last frame dissolves into
a white background, a
split screen of a still
frame from Monsoon Wedding
and Bride and Prejudice
fades in.

00:07:52

(scene continues)

Audio

Visual

VO: This is seen in both
films where certain
characters, those influenced
by American culture, stand
out amongst people of their
own culture through the
colors they choose decorate
their appearance with.
Aditi’s short, dyed hair,
similar to that of Mr.
Bingley’s sister who is
dressed in Americanized
styles (depicted by cool
colors rather than warm
colors) reflects the
difference in their opinions
toward whether to accept or
reject their culture. These
characters represent a female
character different than
those in Indian films
throughout history where
female characters were
usually submissive and had a
sense of naiveté. Both of
these characters feel as
though they do not fit what
they feel is an old formulaic
standard (Mukhopadhyay, 84).

Continue frame shot, split
screen of both films.

Opening music from My Big Fat
Greek Wedding Fades in.
Synchronous dialogue from the
scene fades in at a low
volume.

Time

Hr:min:sec

(scene continues)

00:08:02

00:08:21

00:08:37

Scene fades to black.
Scene from My Big Fat
Greek Wedding fades in.
Toula’s love interest
sticks out among her
family (another depiction
of the “calmer” colors
usually used in American
culture) when they meet
him for the first time.

00:08:49

Audio
Voice over fades in, music
from the opening of My Big
Fat Greek Wedding continues
faintly in the background.
VO: Although My Big Fat Greek
Wedding is an American film,
its storyline and script is
written by and based on
actual events that happened
in the life of Nia Vardalos
who also plays Toula in the
film. As seen in films
Monsoon Wedding and Pride and
Prejudice, American culture
is differentiated from Greek
culture and Indian culture
through the colors used in
American/”Americanized”
characters wardrobes. The
lighting of these scenes also
suggests that there are
cultural differences: In My
Big Fat Greek Wedding,
Monsoon Wedding and Bride and
Prejudice subtle lighting and
cool colors suggest a feeling
of Americanization that goes
against the feelings of
togetherness and tradition
characterized by the warm
colors that suggest unity and
“culture”. Clearly, in these
three films, American ideals
are not accepted as very
culturally traditional ideas.

Visual

Time
Hr:min:sec

Clip from when Ian meets
Toula’s family for the first
time continues.

00:09:01

Fade to black.
Montage of specific frames
from My Big Fat Wedding
follow one behind the other:
A Flash back of Toula and her
family eating dinner when she
was younger while her father
praises her sister for being
the ideal Greek child,
emphasis on warm colored pink
hued lighting in scene.
---Cut to--Footage of Toula’s family
dining at Dancing Zorba’s in
the present day.
---Cut to--Toula spotting Ian outside
(outside representing
American society,
characterized by cool, dark
colors) walking toward the
entrance toward the
restaurant (warm color hued,
and culture-oriented).
---Cut to--Medium shot of Ian asking
Toula to dinner, following
her make over (similar
lighting is used for both of
them, much like the lighting
used for Ian in the beginning
of the film, symbolizing
Toula’s transformation of
physical beliefs and views on
her family’s traditions.
Fade to black.

00:09:01

00:09:26

00:09:39

00:09:45

Audio
Original music from My Big
Fat Greek Wedding fades back
in and the volume decreases
when another voice over
begins.
VO: In all four films, the
use of color reflects how
characters Aditi, Lalita,
Toula, and Elizabeth cannot
help but to see the
complimentary color (which
represents views that break
tradition) of what they are
told to see by their
culture‘s social norms
(Terwogt,6).
Piano score from “Pride and
Prejudice starts playing. The
volume of the music decreases
slightly as a voice over
kicks in.
VO: In Britain’s “Pride and
Prejudice, social status is
reflected through the color
and lighting in it scenes.
Ambient style lighting is
used to depict scenes of
people with less money and a
lower social status than
those with a higher social
status.
The volume of the piano score
increases slightly.
VO: Comparatively, Darcy’s
clothing is of a more intense
hue than that of Elizabeth’s
family, signifying his wealth
and importance.

Visual

Time

Hr:min:sec

Quick montage of all the
portions of the films
featured so far in the
documentary.

00:10:02

(scene continues)
00:10:20

---Cut to--Scene of Elizabeth and her
family touring Mr. Darcy’s
elaborate house, decorated
with statues of artistic
figures. The lighting is
bright therefore enhancing
the richness of the colors
in this scene.
---Cut to--Quick scene of Elizabeth
and her family in their
house; their house is
composed of cool colors
that are dull, and the
lighting is somewhat dark
and similar to that of
ambient lighting.

00:10:41

00:10:52

Audio
Piano score from Pride and
Prejudice fades in to
synchronous music from a
scene of Dubey walking
through the lower class
India. Music plays softly
in the background to evoke
feelings of familiarity with
the films and a central
unity of the topic
throughout the documentary
and slowly decreases in
volume as a voice over
begins.
VO: In Indian film Monsoon
Wedding similar cinematic
representations of social
status are reflected through
the colors used in the
wardrobe of the characters
and the lighting of the
scenes.
In this particular scene,
the working class of India
is depicted through dark
ambient lighting, dark
colored overtones, and
images of children walking
through mud in extreme
contrast to Aditi and Hemant
Rai’s ornate wedding,
characterized by bright,
eye-popping lighting and
warm colors (Stark Adam).

Visual

Time

Hr:min:sec

scene continues)
00:11:04

---Cut to--Scene from Monsoon Wedding
where Dubey is walking down
the street and fantasizing
about Alice as she dresses
herself in the elaborately
decorated clothes and
glimmering jewelry of the
wealthy. The camera twists
and turns as it follows
Dubey toward his humble
home where he lives with
his mother. Scenes of
children walking through
mud and street vendors are
seen during this excerpt.
---Cut to--Scene of the Aditi and
Hemant Rai’s ornate outdoor
wedding intertwined with
Dubey and Alice’s wedding
(on the same night) amidst
the elaborate celebration
of Aditi and Hemant Rai’s
wedding.

00:11:27

00:11:45

00:12:02

Visual

Audio
Synchronous music from a
scene of Dubey walking
through the lower class
India fades out to Voice
Over.
VO: Although these films are
centered upon how American,
British, and Indian
traditions and values about
social status are distinct
in each country, it is clear
that these countries share a
number of similarities
amongst their differences
regarding the concept of
family (Nowell-Smith,xix ).
Ambient sounds of children
playing fades in to a faint
murmur.
VO: Families, usually the
elders of the family, strive
to keep their culture strong
in fear of losing it from
generation to generation.

Time

Hr:min:sec

Fade to black.
00:12:10

Fade in from black to a
long shot of New York City
during nighttime, splashed
with color and many faces.
---Cut to--A medium shot of a family
walking towards the car in
their driveway in a British
suburb.

00:12:28

---Cut to--Children playing outside in
a busy area of India,
decorated with street
vendors and working people
commuting to and fro on
foot.
00:12:43

---Cut to--Synchronous sounds from film
clips ensue.
VO: Children usually
question their family’s
culture, oftentimes through
the act of marriage once
they become older.
Marriage, specifically to a
person outside of one’s own
culture, is the cause for
family’s to examine their
own stance on their
culture’s definition of
social norms, tradition, and
social status.

Montage of families from
various countries. Family
members interact with one
another.
--Cut to--Footage from an American
wedding on the beach.
--Cut to--A British wedding in a
church.
---Cut to--A traditional Indian
wedding ceremony.

00:13:05

Audio

Visual

Time
Hr:min:sec

VO: In films My Big Fat
Greek Wedding and Bride and
Prejudice, characters Toula
and Lalita (respectively)
both fall in love with
Americans against the wishes
of their strictly
traditional families. This
is portrayed cinematically
through the contrast in warm
(representing culture and
unity) and cool
(representing people and
cultures that defy social
norms) colors.

Previous scene fades out
into black.

Close up from My Big Fat
Greek Wedding where Toula
and Ian sit in the back of
a car following their
marriage.
---Cut to---Scene of Lalita and Darcy
are dancing together, Darcy
dancing awkwardly and
standing out in his dull
attire.

00:13:12

00:13:30

VO: In films Monsoon Wedding
and Pride and Prejudice, the
contrast in the intensity of
hues between the settings of
the characters, their
wardrobes, and the lighting
used in the scene reflect
how social status and
honoring the name of one’s
own family in order to keep
traditional values intact
plays a major role in the
family.
VO: In the end, it becomes
increasingly evident that
the role of the portrayal of
families in films from each
of these countries is to
show how families tend to do
as much as they can to keep
the traditional values that
define their culture.

---Cut to--Scene from Monsoon Wedding
where Aditi and Hemant Rai
argue after Aditi confesses
to him about her affair
with another man.
---Cut to--Scene from Pride and
Prejudice where Elizabeth
argues with Darcy about
whether or not he was the
cause of her sister’s
failed relationship due to
her “lowly” social status.

00:13:45

(scene continues)
00:13:59

Scene fades to black.

Audio

Visual

VO: In American films,
American culture serves as
the catalyst for cultural
change in contrast to India
where honoring one’s family
name is key. In British
films, the focus is centered
around knowing that change
in social status is
attainable so long as one is
brave enough to question
crossing social barriers.

Fade in from black to a pan
shot above various sets of
buildings from dawn to
sunset.

Fade to Sounds of murmuring
and chattering within the
many families diminishes and
silence, characteristic of
dead air ensues.
VO: Films such as India’s
Bride and Prejudice and
Monsoon Wedding, Britain’s
Pride and Prejudice and
America’s My Big Fat Greek
Wedding allow people from
all over the world to view
what life is like in
cultures all over the world,
in different shades.
VO: These films reveal the
hearth of American, British,
and Indian culture through
ideas about tradition and
social status represented
through color.

Time

Hr:min:sec

00:14:09

(shot continues)

Fade into a continuation of
a series of shots of a 16year-old girl in her home
with her family members
(her mother and younger
brother) in the background,
their features almost
indistinguishable.
---Cut to--a medium shot of the camera
following the girl
approaching the television
set, with the documentary
playing on it.
---Cut to--A close up of the girl’s
hand hitting the power
switch located on the front
of the television set.
---Cut to--a close up of the
television screen,
appearing as though its
power has been turned off.